Ankaragucu vs Fenerbahce Match Preview !

Ankaragucu travel to Istanbul on Saturday where it will be top against bottom.
The question again will be what Ankaragucu side will turn up, will it be the one who were so poor in the first half against Eskisehirspor, or the second half team which were so unlucky not to win the game ?

Fenerbahce have been on excellent form this season, although the last couple of weeks haven't been at there best. Last season Ankaragucu won 4-2 in the cup at home, and also won 2-1 at home in the league. Fenerbahce won 6-0 in Istanbul in a game Ankaragucu will want to forget. The game was one of many at the centre of match fixing allegations.

The home side have so many talented players such as Emre Belzoglu, Miroslav Stoch and the Brilliant Brazilian Alex to name a few. If Ankaragucu are to take anything from the game then they will need to stop Alex as everything goes through him. They also have a strong defence with Joseph Yobo and Goalkeeper Volkan the experience at the back.

Ankaragucu have to go into the game and show the same determination and attacking play that they showed in the second half at the weekend. Turgut Dogan and Ergin Keles may come into the starting line up after impressive performances when they came on. There can be no repeat of the school boy mistakes that we have seen so often and the reason Ankaragucu find themselves at the bottom of the table. Tonia Tisdell looks set to miss the match due to injury and will be a big loss.

Fenerbahce have only scored 4 goals in there last 5 games so this may be the best time to meet them. Or maybe its wishful thinking that Ankaragucu who only have one win to day can take anything from Fenerbahce who are top of the league. Anything can happen in football.

Good news is the Gecekondu and Anti X will be in Istanbul to cheer the team on.

ANKARAGUCU - 'ALMOST' MEANS ..... NOT QUITE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Despite Nadeem's brief summary in the comments section of the previous post, I will attempt to put some 'meat on the bones' ! Yes, he was spot-on with his summary of the 1st half - to put it quite simply ......... it was a disaster and an error strewn catalogue of mistakes which could have been so much more damaging than going in at half time only 0-2 down. Thank God Ozden is in fine form these days !

However, it was 'almost' a great start by Ankaragucu in the 2nd minute of the match when a great ball was passed to the unmarked Murat who had the goal at his mercy, but shot tamely past. That was to be Ankaragucu's last serious effort of the 1st half.

Eskisehir 3 Ankaragucu 2

Team -

Ozden
Guven, Ediz, Aydin and Ozgur
Weeksie, Umut Hurriyet, Kagan and Murat
Atilla

Substitutes used - Turgut, Keles and Muhammet

Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Maniac Kanka Harun and I met up in The Chopin where there was about 20 other fanatics watching the match.

Ankaragucu was all at 'sixes and sevens' in the 1st half with only Atilla showing any inclination to attack.

Eskisehir was waltzing through the Ankaragucu defence at will and it was only a matter of time before their attacking bore fruit and it was an excellent goal which did the damage.

On the half hour mark, the defence got into a muddle and lost possession (again), the breakaway on the left wing was on and the cross was inch perfect for Kamara to outjump the Ankaragucu defender (couldn't see which one) and send a bullet of a header into the top right corner.

That man Kamara (who had an excellent match) again was responsible for the 2nd goal just before half time when he was allowed to carry the ball into the Ankaragucu penalty area without a tackle coming in, but his powerful shot rebounded off the post, hit Ozgur and went in. It is debatable whether Ozgur could have avoided the ball, which as I said, was travelling at a fast rate of knots. I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and sympathise with him !

Ziya Bey had obviously been as unimpressed as us with the 1st half 'performance' and sent on Turgut and Keles for Guven and Umut at the start of the 2nd half, and the tactic 'almost' paid off.

10 minutes in and that man Murat (again) had another golden opportunity to change the course of the match, but he missed a 'sitter' and blew it. Turgut went on a great run down the left wing beating one defender after another, crossed the ball in to the unmarked Murat who should have tapped-in, but he screwed the ball wide. Unforgivable to miss an open goal ..... arrrrgh !

It was becoming an end-to-end match now with Ankaragucu coming more into the match, but Eskisehir was still looking dangerous and having most of the possession. But, Ankaragucu had chances all spurned when Atilla headed over after good work from Hurriyet and Turgut. Also, Hurriyet and Keles had shots saved by Ivesa.

However, the break-through came in the 72nd minute when I decided to go to the toilet. Damon and Harun were obviously thinking that this is the time to score when Eski goes to see his beloved 'Fatmagul' in the toilet ! OK, so it was a lucky ricochet which gave Atilla the chance to guide the ball into the empty goal, but it certainly cheered us up.

2 minutes later we were all up on our feet high-fiving and singing when Keles guided the ball in for the equaliser with a delicate glancing header. Ivesa 'almost' reached it, but not quite !

5 minutes later and it should have been the winner. Another surging run down the left by Turgut and a pass to Atilla, who caught the 'Murat Disease' and screwed the ball wide when it should have been buried.

So, OK, a great fight-back to win a point. We could accept that, but ..........

Into time added-on and a deflected shot from an Eskisehir attacker hit the bar and rebounded off for a corner. With Turgut defending on the 18 yard line, the ball came to him from the corner kick and he somehow managed to mis-kick his clearnace to an Eskisehir attacker and ....... GOAL !

What a sickener which left us all stunned and speechless !

Having 'almost' won the match, we 'almost' had a point, and to lose like that was a bitter pill to swallow.

Ankaragucu now face the prospect of a visit to Kadikoy next Saturday for what is sure to be a testing time for the shaky Ankaragucu defence. The burning question is .... will Ziya Bey start with a defensive formation, or will he 'bite the bullet' and repeat his 2nd half tactics from yesterday's match ? The clock is ticking !

btw, Gencler are also in action on Saturday at home to Galatasaray. So I guess that will be the late afternoon KO and the Fener v Ankaragucu the evening KO. I'll put it in the comments section as usual when known.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU SNATCH A DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF A GREAT VICTOREEEE !!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Yessssssssssss. Two nil down at half time after an abysmal display of 'football' in the first half and Ankaragucu came back from the dead to ................ lose ................. in the end ............

Eskisehir 3 Ankaragucu 2

Eski Kanka's 'fav' player .......... Murat Duruer ........... knows the reason, but .......... the report will be up tomorra. I'm still too upset ...... and ...... under the affluence of incohol to make a report !!

All the best from back down in the dumps ....... Eski Kanka Jim

Genclerbirligi grab a point off league leaders Fenerbahce

Genclerbirligi 0 - 0 Fenerbahce

Just a quick note to say we managed to get a point last night against Fenerbahce and we were unlucky not to grab the win. I'll be back later for a full report. In the meantime I'm off to a wedding and then the Barbarians v Australia rugby match at the RLC.

Jan Rajnoch and Stefan Senecky Contracts Terminated !

Both players have had there contracts terminated today by the club and are now free to talk to other clubs.

Stefan Senecky a Slovakian International had two spells with the club, first two seasons ago when he signed from Ankaraspor before moving to Slavia Prague. Senecky then returned to the club last season, but hasn't been able to hold down the number 1 spot due to injury and poor form. The player hasn't been paid for the last ten weeks and has decided to terminate his contract. Senecky said his farewells to his former team mates today.

Jan Rajnoch signed for the club from Mlada Boleslav and became a fans favourite for his committed performances. He played in many different positions but mostly at the centre of defence. He was one of the few players who stayed at the club through the financial mess, but returned to the Czech Republic last month due to get treatment on an injury. Reports from Czech Republic said the player wouldn't return to Ankaragucu and this was confirmed today when the player termintated his contract. Rajnoch will now have discussions with Trabzonspor about a possible move that will see him join Robert Vittek and Marek Sapara.

Good luck to both of them, especially Rajnoch who served us well, and im sure he will keep the bench warm with Sapara at Trabzon if he moves.

Ankaragucu vs Eskisehirspor Match Preview !

This weekends match will see Ankaragucu travel to Eskisehirspor as we try and make it two wins in a row. Reports today seem to suggest there will be no travelling fans for this match due to trouble between the two sets of fans in the past.

Eskishirspor have had a dissapointing start to the season, and find themselves in 12th Position. Consistency has been a problem, with wins of late at home to Genclerbirligi and away to Karabukspor, and defeats at home to Manisaspor and away to Fenerbahce. Last weeks match at Fenerbahce saw them play a big part of the game with ten men, they were unlucky not to take a point after Volkan pulled off a fantastic save from Dede late on.

Last season saw both meetings end in a draw, The first game ended 0-0 in Eskisehir and the return game in Ankara finished 2-2 with Fatih Tekke and Serdar Ozkan (pictured above) with the goals.

Ankaragucu grabbed there first win of the season at the weekend with a 2-1 win at home to Karabukspor as we saw in Jim's Report. Young Atilla Garhan and Tonia Tisdell with the goals. Young Atilla has come in and done a good job, and we look a lot better with Tonia out wide and Atilla through the middle. Hopefully Serdar Ozkan will be back for the game to. Two other youngsters made an appearance at the weekend in Umit Sozen and Ishak Dogan who both showed some nice touches. Its good to see the youngsters get some playing time this season.

Eskisehirspor have some good players in there side, and our defence will need to be at there best with the likes of Diomansy Kamara, Mehmet Yildiz and Batuhan Karedeniz up front, and Rodrigo Tello and Veysal Sari dangerous coming forward from midfield. They only need a couple of wins on the bounce and they are back in the chase for a champions league place. Kris Boyd who couldn't stop scoring in Scotland and England cant even get in there squad, which shows how capable there attack is.

Again I will refrain from making a prediction, as it brought us a win last week. A draw would be nice as Dublin Neil said on the Karabuk match report but i think we can go and get the three points if we defend well and take our chances.

Sivas v Genclerbirligi: Live radio blogging

Perhaps Live Radio Blogging is one of the more useless ways of filling up the internet. The threat is clear! But it gives me something to do on a Sunday afternoon.

Sivasspor v Genclerbirligi

Preview: Gencler and Sivas are on the same number of points. It is probably very cold in Sivas. er... that's it. I'll be back here at 1pm Turkish time for the kick-off. As always you can contact the live radio blog and even get your thoughts printed during the match! That's something you could tell the kids. Contact me through twitter @Ankaraozkanka or through the "Contact Us" button on the righthand side of the page. Back soon.

1:00 pm We are sharing the radio broadcast with Antalya v Isnabul BBS. By the way the former chairman of Istanbul BBS was arrested taken into custody yesterday in connection to the match rigging investigation.

1:08 And off they go to Sivas. Gencler freekick just outside the box. Five in the wall... Cem Can takes it and out for a corner. A shot or two but no result.

1:09 Gencler seem to be on the attack. The commentator is attempting to tell us who is playing but Gencler keep on interrupting with attacks. He finally gets the team in. Pretty much the same as usual as far as I can tell.

1:13 Gencler today: Ramazan, Aykut, Ante, Mehmet Sedef, Harbuzi, Yasin, Hurşut, Soner, Özgür, Cem Can, Tum. (I actually nicked that off the @Genclerbirligi twitter feed.)

1:17 In fact @Genclerbirligi seem to be tweeting the match. Probably from the telly and therefore probably 100 times more informative than this rubbish. Latest report from their twitter feed, no mention of this on the radio, Sivas have already been given two yellow cards.

1:22 Commentator says there have been no real goal opportunities but that Gencler have been trying harder. Mmmm.

1:26 First proper shot of the match goes to Sivas. Ramazan controls in easily.

1:28 Istanbul BBS have gone one up away to Antalya.

1:29 and now Sivas go one-nil up. From a corner it seems like. Sivasspor 1 - 0 Genclerbirligi

1:38 Oh yummy. Hamsi and salad have been delivered to my desk. Thanks Mrs. Oz Kanka. No news from the match.

1:42 They finally cross back to Sivas and then straight back to Antalya where Antalya have equalised.

1:43 Half-time and it seems like Sivas are the better team. Got to take the commentators word for that.

Half-time scores: Sivasspor 1 - 0 Genclerbirligi, Antalyaspor 1 - 1 Istanbul BBS

2:02 Second half and Sivas have already had a shot, just out. This is not looking great. Sivas have another go from a corner but defence clears. And another Sivas attack. Freekick to Sivas... Cleared by defence. Oh get on with it Gencler.

2:08 Harbuzi off, Mununga on. Let's see.

2:20 We are back to Sivas. Seems like we missed a good chance with Yasin hitting the defence, then hitting them again. And just now Herve Tum has a shot saved. This is sounding a bit better.

2:22 Azofeifa brought on, not sure who went off.

2:23 Herve Tum scores with a header! That was a very important goal. Can we get a winner? Sivasspor 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

2:29 Like-for-like substitution here. Well, only if you look at the bald heads. Hursut off for Erdal.

2:40 Sivas get close, Mehmet Sedef clears... oh. it was offside.

2:42 Gencler start to slow the game down. A couple of minutes left.

2:43 Sivas with a free kick... Ball goes in, defence clears. Erdal goes through. no shot in the end. Nail-biting stuff now.

2:47 Peep, peep. Gencler grab only their second away point of the season. "Better than a loss," says Little Oz Kanka. Afternoon all. Sivasspor 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

And in the other match: Antalyaspor 2 - 1 Istanbul BBS

ANKARAGUCU - OFF THE MARK AT LAST !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu churned out their first league win in 11 attempts yesterday to belatedly kick-start their season.

Ankaragucu 2 Karabuk 1

Despite their league position, Karabuk are no mugs, so it was a vital win in what was effectively a 'Six Pointer'.

Due to the early KO, we all met up inside The Stadium. Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Simon (no kanka name yet) and Husso Kanka. All things considered, it was an amazing turnout by Gecikondu and Maraton with both tribunes full and Gecikondu in fine voice pre-match and during the match. The away end was well represented with about 500 Karabukers and they even had the audacity to try and outsing Gecikondu !

On the Fashion Front, Damon was resplendent in his new black Italian boots which unfortunately didn't have any silver buckles. Oh well, at least he contrasted the black boots with his luvvlie white Ankaragucu scarf which drew lots of admiring glances from the supporters around us !!!

Back to footie and the team -

Ozden
Guven, Ediz, Aydin and Ozgur
Weeksie, Hurriyet, Umut and Murat
Tonia and Atilla

Substitutes used - Turgut, Ishak and Muhammed

Into the match then with both teams feeling each other out and then with only 7 minutes on the clock, the break through. An excellent solo effort from Atilla who received a through ball. He held off 2 defenders with his pace and tucked his shot low and hard into the corner for the opening goal.

30 minutes in and it was end to end stuff, although it's fair to say that Karabuk was enjoying most of the possession. Some panic defending from Ankaragucu, but Ozden dealt capably with everything that came his way.

At the other end, Atilla was The Lone Ranger with Tonia and Murat doing their best to support him, with the ocassional forages up front from Ozgur who is really developing into an excellent attacking full back. Tomic in the Karabuk goal also had an easy time and dealt with all the high balls being pumped in with Atilla being crowded out by the tall Karabuk defenders.

Into the 2nd half and Ankaragucu pressed forward from the whistle looking to kill the game off. Only 10 minutes in and we were all up cheering when Tonia scored a great headed 'goal'. Unfortunately, the Linesman had his flag up for offside ..... arrrrrgh !

Still Ankaragucu continued to attack and one minute later Atilla blasted over from about 3 yards out when a tap-in was all that was required.

Halfway through the 2nd half and Karabuk was coming back into the match more, but I have to praise the Ankaragucu defence for their performance yesterday. Ediz in particular was commanding in central defence, and I should also mention the role of Captain Hurriyet who played like a terrier and was a dynamo in midfield.

Then disaster struck on the 70th minute mark. The Effin Referee, Mr Muftuoglu, who had a shocker of a match, awarded a penalty to Karabuk for what we think was a handball by Guven. We didn't see it, but perhaps Nadeem can confirm one way or another. 'Olde boy' Ilhan stepped up and despatched a perfect spot-kick.

Mmmmmm ..... just as I was thinking another draw was on the cards, Tonia produced a piece of sheer magic to score from the tightest of angles to send us wild again.

The last 5 minutes of the match was sheer purgatory with Karabuk on all out attack searching for the equaliser, but the Ankaragucu defence stood their ground and the match ended in the Karabuk half with Ankaragucu attacking !

So, will this be the turning point in Ankaragucu's season when we look back and say ..... 'we avoided relegation after the Karabuk match' ? Best not to speculate yet, but to see how the team reacts next Sunday away in Eskisehir. Another win would really have the pulses racing !

Back we went to the Chopin to celebrate where we were joined by Maniac Kanka Harun and Cider Kanka John. Also have to mention a great quote from Simon during the 'Efes Haze' ...... he said ...... 'I have an intuitive warmth for Ankaragucu'. Nice one Simon !

Watching next Sunday's match in The Chopin and it will probably be an afternoon KO. I'll put the KO time up here in the comments section when known.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU - AAAAT ..... LAAAASSST !!!!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Weeeeeeeeee did it aaaaatt lasssssssst yessssssssss !!!

Ankaragucu 2 Karabuk 1

We were celebrating long into the afternoon and evening in The Chopin and now ........... I'm celebrating more at home yessssssssssssss !

This, despite having a woeful referee, but the bottom line is ...............

firrrrrst leeeeeg victorrrrreeeee of the season yessssssssssssss !!!

Report tomorrra when I'm sobirrrrrr.

All the best from ..... up in the clouds and full of optimism ..... Eski Kanka Jim

Police called in at Ankaragucu AGM

The following is a shortened version of Klasspor's live blog of today's Ankaragucu Extraordinary General Meeting. Hats off to Klasspor as this is sort of thing the internet was invented for.

A surprise development... It has been learnt that Ankaragucu's former spokesman Sami Altinel Atinyuva is a candidate for chairman.

There is a lot of people and a lot of security.

Ankaragucu Chairman Cengiz Topal Yildirim and the board members have arrived.

Erdal Sanli and Kemal Unsal, who had both pulled out of the running for the chairmanship, have arrived.

Former chairman Osman Kolsuz has arrived. Cemil Aydin has yet to arrive.

Cemil Aydin's daughter has arrived.

(I told you this was good - Oz Kanka)

Kemal Unsal is chairman of the meeting.

Director Ahmet Sari reads out the accounts.

Ankaragucu has debts of 94 million lira.

Supporters protesting.

...

An Auditing Commission report is presented.

(A bit of shouting - Oz Kanka)

Cengiz Topel Yildirim talks

"When we left the club two years ago there were no debts. There was no ban of licences. At most there were debts of 1.5 million lira.

We want the full audit of (Gokcek's) term.

(The meeting goes on, various procedural stuff and whatnot)

Cengiz Topel Yildirim wishes the new management well.

SUPPORTERS ATTACK THE PODIUM

THERE IS A SERIOUS INCIDENT HERE

POLICE INTERVENE

RIOT POLICE ARE IN THE HALL

AS THE CANDIDATE LIST WAS BEING READ SUPPORTERS ATTACKED

"THIEVES OUT" IS STILL BEING SHOUTED..

The candidates list: Sidar Tunca - Sami Altınyuva - Fatih yurdemi, - Sait Demirci - Mehmet Aybek - Hüseyin Acar - Nilay Ermiş - Mehmet Ural - Cem Memikoğlu - Sait Özcan - Süleyman Yiğiter - Ramazan Başdoğan - Necmi Bilgin - İsmet Ölmez - Ahmet Telek - Tercan Yüce - Adnan Alimoğlulları - Hülya Kalaycıoğlu - Özgür İncesu

Riot police have left

Yildirim is trying to calm down his supporters.

He sits down with the supporters. The meeting gets back under way.

Voting on the one candidate list starts.

Sami Altinyuva makes his speech. "With my 18 friends we will work to take Ankaragucu to a great place. It doesn't matter who is chairman.

130 votes were cast.

And that my dear friends was the whole sorry tale.

Ankaragucu vs Karabukspor Match Preview !

This weekend will see the 19 Mayis host Ankaragucu vs Karabukspor in a match that is a must win for both sides. Ankaragucu are yet to win a game this season, and Karabukspor haven't won in there last three matches.

Ankaragucu will go into the game with a bit of confidence gained from there performance two weeks ago at Samsunspor. A 2-2 draw was a disappointment in the end when we deserved to take all three points.

Karabukspor lost at home to Eskisehirspor 2-1 who themselves were also on a poor run of form. The main players in the Karabuk side are Romanian midfielder Florian Cernat and Luton Shelton there Jamaican Striker. Ex Ankaragucu players Bilal Kisa and Muhammet Hanifi are also part of the squad.

With both sides struggling in the relegation zone, they will be both hoping to take three points and kick start there seasons. Ankaragucu need to win the game to keep the gap between them and the teams just outside the drop at a minimum. Cengiz Topal has already said the team in January will be a completely different side as we will add to the squad.

Ankaragucu will hold a Press Conference on Wednesday and then the elections will be held on the 18th of November, so an interesting week ahead. In transfer news, Trabzonspor have added Ozgur Cek and Ugur Ucar to there wanted list in January, and Bursaspor are interested in Hurriyet Gucer. Hopefully we will keep the mentioned players and add to the squad instead.

Its also unknown weather Jan Rajnoch will return to the team at the weekend or if he will remain back home in the Czech Republic. The starting line up will be interesting to see if Ziya Dogan will go with Atilla Garhan up front after his goal last week. I think the boy deserves his chance and it will allow Tonia and Serdar to play in the side areas to support him.

Tough match again, the last time we had a good performance at Trabzon, it was followed up by a poor one at home to Orduspor, so im not going to predict a score this week. Good Luck Ankaragucu and lets get that first win under our belts !!

EYEIRRRRRLINNNDD !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

True enough, this is an Ankara football website, but ............. hey ........ wait a minute ...... don't we have some Eyeirrrrish Kankas, ie, Paddy Kanka Paul and Dublin Kanka Neil ?!

So, apart from Genclerbirligi's result against Beshiktrash last week, we haven't had much to cheer about so far this season. Therefore ........ let's put our hands together and give the Irish a cheer for 'almost' qualifying for Yooro 2012. I'm sure it's going to be a done deal in Dublin in the return leg and great to see those boys in green there.

After all, would we, or could we, support Ingallind ???? Nay nay nivvvvirrrrrr !!!!

Well done Ireland. Along with Paddy Kanka and Dublin Kanka, we will support you there next summer.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Classic Ankaragucu goal

I'm still high after last weekend's Gencler victory over Besiktas. As you all know it included an extremely funny own goal by the Besiktas defender Egeman. I've just discovered an even better goal against Besiktas, this one by Ankaragucu from way back in the 80s.

Gencler sacrifice an eagle*

I'm still bouncing off walls the day after one of Gencler's best wins in recent years. How great it was to silence the Besiktas fans. To come back from two-nil down at half-time to win by two clear goals. Amazing stuff.

Genclerbirligi 4 - 2 Besiktas

What a lovely autumn day in Ankara for the first day of the bayram. Normally we don't get football on during bayrams but I guess the late start to the season meant they had to cram it in. It did feel a bit like having a match on Christmas Day but I have a feeling that for many fans in the crowd it was a great excuse to get away from the relatives. Not for me of course. I'm a family-type of man.

Down at the Beer Bus Little Oz Kanka and myself were joined by Spine, Oguz, Sir Eski, Flying Dutchman and two newcomers from Sweden, Robin and John. The new guys were kicking themselves that they hadn't bought 100 tl season tickets earlier in the year as tickets for last night were 56 lira. Oh well, they were about to get their money's worth.

We left Flying Dutchman and Sir Eski in the pub, Maniac Kanka Harun joined them a bit later, and got in with a few minutes before kick-off. A decent crowd, by Gencler standards, and the Besiktas lot filled their section behind the goals.

As usual we were outsung from the off. Outplayed on the field as well as Besiktas went one up after just three minutes. The defence was again to blame as Mehmet Sedef failed to keep on his man. It was soft and deflating. To be scored against so early is just depressing.

Maniac and Little Oz Kanka after the match

The team didn't seem to depressed though as they played some decent footy with Yasin getting a good shot from distance on target. There were a couple of other scrambles in the goal mouth that with a bit of luck would have seen us draw level but in the end it was Besiktas who got lucky with Genclerbirligi old boy Mustafa Pektemek pouncing on a loose ball to make it 0-2.

I then managed to lose a 1 lira bet with my son as we won a free kick just outside the box. I bet that Azofeifa would take it and Aykut would head it in. I almost won but Aykut sent it wide.

Oguz and Spine with John and Oz Kanka in the background

Half time and the general consensus was that we weren't playing too badly. Just a slight problem with the score and some rubbish referee decisions. Oh well, been there a million times before.

Text from Flying Dutchman comes in: Possession stat: "51 percent versus 49 percent. But as Sir Eski says 'possession doesn't win matches. Goals do!' We are not playing bad in my opinion. Mind you the first goal was a blatant mistake in defence. Spelled with a 'c' ;-)"

True, true. Gencler coach Fuat Capa obviously kept spirits up during the half-time break as we came out again in a positive manner.

Besiktas should have killed the match early in the second half when Pektemek found himself one-on-one with Ramazan but failed to get his shot on target.

And then the fun began.

About the 54th minute and Herve Tum (who had a pretty good game compared to recent weeks) short passes to Azofeifa. Azo takes a shot which deflected off a defender and Tum from a tight angle sends it in. The fightback begins

Just a couple of minutes later Yasin goes down the wing and sends a lovely cross right onto the head of Hursut (my man of the match) who had the Besiktas keeper diving to no avail. 2-2 and this was looking good.

John, Robin, Oz Kanka and Little Oz Kanka after the fourth had gone in.

And then the best goal I've seen all season. Our keeper Ramazan whacks the ball way to hard and all the Besiktas defender Egeman had to do was tap it back to his own keeper. Problem was the keeper had come out. He desperately tried to stretch out to get it but had to watch as the ball, as if in slow motion, crossed the line.

We were singing and dancing in the stands but there was still 10 minutes left. Besiktas had a go but it was right at the death when we sealed it. Hursut put a ball in to Erdal who somehow or other managed to swing around and get a shot off. An amazingly difficult goal.

Back at the Beer Bus to celebrate

Peep, peep. What a match. To come back from two-nil down and really embarass Besiktas. Back to the Beer Bus for a celebratory beer and high-fives all round. That was simply brilliant stuff last night. Iyi Bayramlar all! Hopefully I'll put up some more photos soon.

* Headline thanks to Maniac Kanka Harun.

Wow, wow,wow,wow,wow

I've been watching Genclerbirligi for a few years now and I'd have to say this was one of the best wins we have had. It was up there with defeating Blackburn Rovers. It was up there with defeating Valencia, it was even up there with beating Ankaragucu. More.... much, much more tomorrow when I sober up a bit. For now though let me just print out the score. Oh, how I'm loving this.

Genclerbirligi 4 - 2 Besiktas

ANKARAGUCU ...... NEVER SAY DIE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu snatched a point from the jaws of defeat last night in Samsun, when to all intents and purposes, they should have been dead and buried. Another two schoolboy errors in defence put Ankaragucu on the back foot, but to their credit they never let their heads fall. We will need to see more of this before the end of the season !

Samsun 2 Ankaragucu 2

Five of us turned-up at the Red Lion Club to watch the match. Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo, Cider Kanka John and his friend Alex from Frankfurt-in-Main and my friend Onur (whisper it quietly ..... he supports Fener !).

Team -

Ozden
Kagan, Ediz, Aydin and Ozgur
Weeks, Hurriyet and Guven
Serdar and Turgut
Tonia

Substitutes used - Atilla, Umut and Murat

Carlo was just paying for his beer and getting ready to settle down to watch match but he missed the first goal which arrived with only seconds on the clock. In the first attack of the match, the ball was put through to Zenke, but Aydin was covering the move and was about to tackle him when he stumbled and fell. Zenke was then clean through and fired in a shot which Ozden managged to get an arm to, but in it went to stun us all.

Play swung from end to end and then in the 14th minute Ankaragucu should have equalised, when from a great cross ball from Tonia, Turgut contrived to miss an open goal when all the ball needed was a touch. Again, 5 minutes later, Serdar was put through with only Ahmet in goal to beat, but instead of having a go, he passed the ball to the unmarked Tonia on the right but his feeble effort went past the post.

Then just before the half time whistle the killer blow was struck. Ahmet rolled the ball out to a defender and he carried the ball unchallenged to the halfway line, looked up, saw a gaping hole in the Ankaragucu defence, and threaded a great pass through about 5 defenders to the unmarked Murat who latched on to the ball, brought it forward, and lashed in a powerful shot with Ozden well beaten.

With Samsun sensing blood and Ankaragucu wobbling, the half time whistle arrived as a relief !

Ankaragucu came out for the 2nd half with the bit between their teeth and pressed forward relentlessly for a breakthrough. They were playing some neat footie in the Three Quarters area of the field, but with only Tonia up front, the attacks kept breaking down. Tonia (my Man of the Match) was everywhere and it was his inspiration and non-stop running which probably turned the match. He almost made the breakthrough on the 60 minute mark when he fired in a goal-bound shot but Ahmet saved well.

With 15 minutes to go, I decided to go outside for a siggy, more in frustration than anything else, and that's when the match was turned on its head. I saw the goal through the window and what a great goal it was. Captain Hurriyet latched on to a pass just outside the penalty area and sent a great shot into the top right hand corner with Ahmet helpless.

Oh well, I thought, that's it. We had a small crumb of comfort for all our endeavours. Then, just as I was about to extinguish my siggy the equaliser arrived.

Atilla received the ball just inside the penalty box, and with 2 defenders bearing down on him, he swivelled, wrong footing them, and sent a peach of a shot into the bottom right hand corner with Ahmet again helpless.

Jumping up and down with joy, high fives, and singing ...... Aaakaaarrraaaagooojoooo. I was back in the Club, but ............. maybe I should have stayed outside ??!!

True enough, it's only one point, but is could so easily have been zero points.

I have to say ....... if only. If only what you might ask ? With this fighting spirit ........ if only we had 2 strikers up front, what a difference it would have made to our season. The fact is .... we don't .... so it's still going to be an uphill struggle, however, all credit to the team for their efforts last night.

If the team show the same fighting qualities in 2 weeks time at home to Karabuk (Saturday 19 November) then we might be celebrating a first win of the season. Never say never, and, never say die !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Crap Monday night football

I really don't like Monday night games. It seems so wrong and it was clear that many other Gencler fans felt the same as there were only a dozen or so at the Beer Bus on Monday night. Those who didn't make didn't miss much.

Mersin Idmanyurdu 2 - 1 Genclerbirligi

I was a couple of minutes late to the pub and already we were 1-0 down. Not the best way to start the evening. Replays showed that a Mersin player hit the ball and it was going to go out. A defender near the line instinctively kicked it and STRAIGHT TO A MERSIN PLAYER who whacked it in.

Annoying yes, but Gencler looked like they could get back into it. We launched wave upon wave of attacks but almost none of them resulted in an actual shot at goal. There seemed to be too much setting it up for yet one more player and eventually all the fancy work would be wasted. Zec and Oktay in particular were guilty of this. Hursut was having a great day getting past his player almost every time but we still couldn't score.

That last para pretty much sums up the match. That and the fact that the only player who was taking shots, Erdal, couldn't get any of them on target.

Still, we were playing well and then our keeper Ramazan made a terrible mistake. He came out of box to clear a loose, but not very dangerous, ball. Instead of sending it to kingdom come he hit it along the ground straight to a Mersin player who lobbed it into the empty goal from about 35 metres.

And that's it really. Oh yes, Herve Tum got a consolation goal in the last minutes. That goal, by the way, was the first scored by a recognised striker this season. Sort of sums up Gencler's problems really.

Gencler fail to find the net

Mersin 2 - 1 Genclerbiligi

I've been busy as hell since Monday night's match and won't have time to put up a report until some time Wednesday afternoon. Suffice to say it won't be pretty.

Ankaragucu vs Samsunspor Match Preview !

Image above taken from Habervereti

This weekend Ankaragucu and Samsunspor are up first in the Friday night game in Samsun. Both sides met in a pre season friendly where it finished 1-1. A lot has changed since then, especially the Ankaragucu playing staff, but both teams are struggling in the relegation zone.

Ankaragucu come off the back of a poor week where both Manisaspor and Istanbul BBS took three points from us, and in both games the performance could only be described as dreadful. Poor defending, another sending off, conceding penalties and of course not taking our few chances.

Samsunspor are struggling themselves and only have one win in the Super Lig to date. They came up with both Mersin and Orduspor who are both having good starts to there campaign. Indeed there only win to date was the opening game of the season at home to Genclerbirligi where they won 3-2. Unlike Orduspor who are well organised at the back, Samsun have a weak defence and there forward line are off form to. Sound familiar ? This is a game which will be won by the team who wants it most.

The Key players for Samsun will be Ekigho Ehiosun and Simon Zenke who is similar to former Karabukspor striker Emanuele Emunike in that he is quick and powerful. They also have Colombian Playmaker Alvaro Dominguez and Aristode Bance who will be looking to break his run of games without a goal. Last weeks match against Eskisehirspor ended in a 1-0 loss, but they will take comfort from there 0-0 draw at Fenerbahce a few weeks earlier.

Ankaragucu will be without Ugur Ucar through suspension for his red card against Istanbul BBS, and Jan Rajnoch through injury, although reports are saying he wants to leave the club and has travelled back home. Ziya Dogan doesn't have much to work with, but he needs to do better with the squad he has. We have some good players in Tonia Tisdell, Theo Weeks, Serdar Ozkan, Hurriyet Gucer to name a few, but they need to cut out the stupid mistakes or face been punished every week. Will we even see Jarioslav Cerny make an appearance ? Even kids like Umit Kurt and Atilla Garhan seem to be ahead if him in the pecking order.

I cant see us winning any time soon, so im going for a 2-1 win for Samsunspor, nothing of late has given me any reason to think other wise.